US Equestrian (USEF) has announced updates to its U.S. Dressage Pathway Programs for 2026, including refreshed athlete lists for the Pre-Elite, Development, Emerging Young Horse, and Youth programs. Selections are based on competition results from the past 12 months and are supported by Christine Traurig, USEF Dressage Technical Advisor & Chef d’Equipe, along with Assistant Pathway Coaches Olivia LaGoy Weltz and Guenter Seidel, and George Williams, USEF High Performance Pathway Advisor and Youth Coach. Updated program member lists can be accessed [here].
“We have worked collaboratively with our athletes to set objective performance targets that drive both training and competition preparation while encouraging individual improvement,” said Traurig. “While ambitious, these targets are designed to ensure the highest standard of performance, helping us build momentum toward our ultimate goal: a podium finish at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.”
For 2026, performance goals include top placements at the FEI Dressage Nations Cup Wellington CDIO3*, top-ten finishes at the FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Ft. Worth, and a top-six team finish at the FEI Dressage World Championships. Grand Prix-level athletes are expected to score at least 71% in the Pre-Elite program, with combinations scoring above 74% progressing toward the Elite program. Development program athletes will gain experience through FEI Nations Cup and CDI competitions in Europe, targeting top-five team finishes.
Emerging Young Horse and Youth athletes will focus on events such as the U25 & Young Rider European Tours, the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions, FEI World Breeding Championships, and the FEI North American Youth Championships.
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Looking ahead, the program’s long-term objectives include podium finishes at the 2027 Pan American Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, maintaining these competitions as central goals for the quadrennial cycle.
In 2025, the USEF Dressage program hosted six training and evaluation sessions for program members, alongside home visits and seven USEF Training Series events open to all FEI levels. Similar opportunities will expand in 2026, with a full calendar available on the USEF website by December 15, 2025, and all sessions accessible via the USEF Athlete Dashboard.
